Monitor road maintenance works regularly, CM Jai Ram Thakur tells PWD officials

Tribune News Service

Shimla, March 24

Chief Engineers and Superintending Engineers of the Public Works Department (PWD) must regularly monitor road maintenance work being undertaken in their respective zones and inform the higher authorities about their status, said Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur here today.

Thakur, while presiding over a meeting with the PWD officials virtually from Shimla, said that the delay in floating tenders for tarring of roads would be viewed seriously and stern action would be taken against defaulting officials. He added that a special thrust must also be laid on quality work so that commuters do not face inconvenience.

He said, “Roads are the lifeline of Himachal Pradesh, as there are limited means of connectivity due to hilly terrains. The state government is according top priority to the construction and maintenance of roads”.

He directed the PWD officers to put in earnest efforts to improve the condition of roads through periodic renewal, patchwork, metalling and tarring of roads built under the PMGSY, NABARD and other schemes so that commuters could travel comfortably. He said that all tenders for repair work, renewal and blacktopping of roads should be completed well in time.

The Chief Minister said that the PWD had achieved 75 per cent of the targets fixed for the state and PMGSY roads under the Annual Maintenance Plan 2021-22 by undertaking work on 1,798 km of roads at a cost of Rs 228 crore. He added that a target of 1,950.59 km of roads had been fixed under the Annual Maintenance Plan 2022-23 for maintenance and other allied activities of the state and PMGSY roads.

Thakur said that 131 plants in the state undertake bitumen activities, and 63 of these had started functioning. He directed the officials to make the remaining plants functional at the earliest.

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